In the context of climate change and its effects, production and consumption of orphaned crops such as sweet potato has been promoted as alternative food diets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, sustainable production of these crops is hampered by poor access to seed. This paper assesses seed security among smallholder sweet potato producers in Kenya and its implications on household food security. Data for the paper were collected through a survey of 383 sweet potato producing households in Kirinyaga and Homabay Counties of Kenya.

Why do many smallholder farmers fail to adopt what appear to be relatively simple agronomic or management practices which can help them cope with climate-induced stressors?

 Studies around Lake Victoria documented various challenges hindering higher landing prices among artisanal fishers associated with varying attributes of fish. However, determination of the effects of fish attributes on landing price, which is potential to the wellbeing of fishermen, remains undisclosed during the landing of the fish harvest to the landing sites. This paper employed cross-section data from 300 fishermen to examine the effects of fish attributes on fish prices of the selected fish species.

In this paper we study the impact of tenure security on rural to urban migration of household members over the age of 15. Using three waves of the Tanzanian National Panel Survey (NPS) data, we show that tenure security is associated with lower probability of migration in rural Tanzania. This result is consistent with the idea that better property rights over agricultural land in rural Tanzania, by easing the fear of expropriation of land holdings, can induce households to retain more of their members. The result is found to be robust to different specifications and estimation techniques.

Industrialization entails structural transformation of a traditional economy dominated by primary activities into a modern economy where high-productivity activities in manufacturing assume an important role. Invariably this process remains a defining feature of economic development. This definition suggests that economic growth and development requires shifting production factors from low-productivity to high- productivity activities that allow for learning, externalities and higher profits and wages. But this process is not spontaneous or automatic.

Limited non-farm opportunities in the rural areas of the developing world, coupled with population growth, means agriculture will continue to play a dominant role as a source of livelihood in these areas. Thus, while rural transformation has dominated recent literature as a way of improving welfare through diversifying into non-farm sectors, improving productivity and resilience to shocks in smallholder agricultural production cannot be downplayed.

Forest extraction is an important livelihood activity for millions of low-income households in rural areas of developing countries. Understanding the choices households make to extract forest products can help formulate strategies for preventing livelihood strains associated with forest degradation. This article evaluates the nature, extent and determinants of forest extraction among rural households in western Kenya. Data were obtained from a survey of 924 randomly selected households in the Mt. Elgon area in western Kenya.

Payment for ecosystem service (PES) programs are increasingly being promoted as suitable mechanisms for addressing degradation of forest resources in developing countries. While interest in PES has grown over the last decade, empirical research on factors influencing household involvement in PES remains limited. This paper analyses factors influencing household participation in a forestry PES scheme in Kenya.